


Guilt: Redux

by etmuse



Series: Guilt: Redux [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-03
Updated: 2010-08-03
Packaged: 2017-10-10 22:12:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 13,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etmuse/pseuds/etmuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto knows he should be happy. He has his work and he has Lisa. Again. Finally. He knows he <i>should</i> be happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate ending to Guilt - events of Guilt up to around ch50 take place. This picks up many months later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who didn't read Guilt (shame on you!):
> 
> What you NEED to know for this fic to make sense  
> Not a lot, really. The main thing is that after Jack hired him, Ianto decided he couldn't continue the deception and told Jack (and then the rest of the team) about Lisa. They did a scan which showed she was still thinking as a human, and agreed to help him find a way to cure her.
> 
> There are other little details that will make more sense if you read Guilt, but they're not the important ones - and if you want to 'get' them - go read Guilt!

Ianto closed the door softly behind him, trying to avoid waking the sleeping woman. It was still early, and she needed her sleep. Her recovery was going well, but she still tired easily; it was only two weeks since she'd started to be able to go all day without a nap.

He padded barefoot back to his bedroom, picking up the socks and tie he'd left on the bed as he finished dressing for work.

On his way to the door, he checked the kitchen. The coffee machine was filled and set, so Lisa could just flick a switch when she got up. There were ingredients for a choice of easy lunches in the fridge. He picked up the carton of milk in the door and shook it gently, confirming that they weren't out.

He picked up the rental DVDs Lisa had finished watching the previous day as he passed back through the living room. He could drop them into the quick returns box at the video shop on his way to the Hub, if he hurried. And maybe, if the Rift didn't spit out anything particularly nasty today, he'd even have time to pick up some new ones after work without getting back too late.

Satisfied that Lisa would be comfortable for the day, he slipped on his shoes and coat and quietly left the flat.

 

To make a change, the Rift actually complied with his half-formed plans, and was quiet. At the Hub, this meant he had time to continue with what felt like his never-ending task of bringing the archives into some semblance of order, his day punctuated with coffee rounds and pestering Jack to stick at his paperwork. The older man more or less kept on top of the surprisingly large stacks of red tape involved in running Torchwood, but only when Ianto kept on top of _him_.

A quiet day also meant that Jack, predictably, kicked them all out of the Hub early. Ianto walked back through the door of his and Lisa's flat before 6, in possession of a new batch of rental DVDs and a promise from Jack that, barring an emergency, he'd stop round for a visit that evening.

Knowing Jack as well as he had come to in the last eighteen months, Ianto suspected that Jack would show up just in time for dinner. He'd been dropping in to eat and spend the evening with them at least once a week ever since Ianto had brought Lisa home to recuperate.

"Quiet day?" Lisa asked from the kitchen as he dropped the DVDs on the living room table and went back to hang up his coat.

"Yep," he nodded as he joined her, taking over the putting away of washed and dried dishes and urging her to sit down and take it easy. "If it stays quiet, we can expect Jack this evening, probably within the hour."

"Great." Ianto could hear the smile in Lisa's voice as she settled back onto the sofa.

Jack had been a good friend to both of them during Lisa's long and often painful treatment. Jack's spending time with Lisa may have been borne out of a sort of necessity - when Ianto had been hospitalised for weeks - but a close friendship had grown out of it.

Ianto wasn't sure they would have made it through without him. As awful as he felt to remember thinking like that, at the time he'd been grateful that he had someone to share Lisa's care with. Whenever Ianto had begun to feel like it was all getting on top of him, Jack was there with a friendly ear for him and an outrageous story to keep both his and Lisa's spirits up.

Jack's friendship and frequent visits were still important to them even now, as Lisa's recovery progressed. When it was just the two of them, conversation could sometimes become rather stilted and awkward. Ianto hadn't mentioned anything about it, hoping that the problem would just resolve itself with time, but if anything, it only seemed to be getting worse.

With Jack around, however, it wasn't an issue. He could keep a conversation going single-handedly, if necessary, but when the three of them were together, it rarely was. The tension in the room dissipated whenever he visited, and chatter flowed easily all evening.

Ianto had almost convinced himself that was the only reason he liked Jack coming around.


	2. Chapter Two

Ianto was still layering the lasagne to put in the oven when there was a knock at the door.

Before he could call out to her that he would get it, Lisa had the door open and was welcoming Jack in.

"I brought dessert!" Jack called, holding up a box and looking ridiculously pleased with himself. Ianto grinned at him from the kitchen door and went back to the lasagne. Jack appeared behind him a minute later, hovering with his cake box.

"Where do you want this?" He waved the box gently.

"Anywhere," Ianto told him, not turning around as he spread an even layer of cheese on top of the lasagne and picked up the whole dish to put into the oven. As he had anticipated, Jack got there before him and had the oven door open and waiting. They'd performed this dance many a time; Jack was turning up in time to help with the final dinner preparations more and more often as time went on.

Lisa had a DVD set up and ready to play when they got back to the living room. "About forty minutes until food," Ianto said as he took his usual place in the middle of the sofa. "What are we watching tonight?"

Jack sat down on Ianto's other side and picked up the DVD case from the side table. "_Ocean's 13_. Again."

"I like it," Lisa told them. "If you don't want to watch films that I like and you two don't, then stop leaving me in charge of picking what we watch."

"Well, most of the time it isn't a problem," Ianto said reasonably. "There aren't many films we disagree on. And I can deal with it the few times we do."

"Couldn't we watch something else instead? Anything else? I still haven't seen _The Matrix_, you keep putting me off," Jack whined exaggeratedly. "Please?"

Ianto frowned slightly, knowing that - rather like he and Jack with _Ocean's 13_ \- Lisa wasn't particularly fond of Jack's suggested alternative.

Lisa pretended to consider it for a few moments before shaking her head. "Nope. Maybe afterwards, if I'm not too tired."

"Fine," Jack pouted. "But next time, I'm choosing the movie."

Lisa shrugged. "If that's what you want to believe…" Picking up the remote, she hit play.

The DVD was paused when the timer on the oven sounded, telling Ianto that his lasagne was ready. The three of them crowded around the tiny dining table in the kitchen to eat. Conversation flowed slowly, but easily, as they dug into the food, demolishing both the lasagne and the strawberry Pavlova Jack had brought.

Secretly, Ianto was wondering if Jack had some ulterior motive attached to his food offerings; every time he'd turned up with food it had been a messier dish than the last.

While Ianto finished clearing the dishes, Jack and Lisa headed back for the living room to resume the DVD. Ianto couldn't quite work out if he was pleased or not when he returned to find that Jack had taken up his own previous position in the middle of the sofa, leaving one end for Ianto.

As Ianto had rather expected would happen, Lisa was almost asleep on Jack's shoulder before the movie ended. He had to shake her gently awake as the end credits rolled, holding her by the shoulders as he guided her towards her bedroom.

Kissing her forehead, he bade her goodnight and ushered her through the door. Jack was already collecting up his boots and greatcoat when he went back through.

"You know, it's not even ten o'clock yet," Ianto said, switching off the TV. "Still early. You don't have to rush out just because Lisa went to bed."

Jack nodded but didn't stop lacing his boot. "I know, but I should probably be getting back to the Hub."

Ianto suspected that was a dodge but, as he wasn't willing to examine the possible reasons too closely, he let it slide, and held out Jack's coat for him to slip into.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," he said as he accompanied Jack to the front door.

"Yes. Don't forget that Owen wants to see Lisa for a check-up sometime tomorrow morning. If the world doesn't try to implode before then, of course."

Ianto smiled indulgently as Jack stepped out the door. "I'm remembering, Jack. Frankly, I'm a little insulted that you'd think I'd forget."

Jack shrugged and grinned, and then he was gone.

Ianto closed the door and leant against the back of it. Dropping his head back, he let out a sigh.


	3. Chapter Three

Lisa checked the clock when she woke up the following morning. 8:45am. Plenty of time to get ready before Ianto arrived back to pick her up. On past experience, he wouldn't arrive before 10, and Ianto was nothing if not consistent.

For the same reason, she knew that she would find the coffee machine in their kitchen armed and ready to dispense the perfect cup of coffee when she went for it, and all of her favourite breakfast foods would be on hand in the fridge.

Her finished library book would be gone, returned to the library before the morning was out. If she'd had any DVDs that needed returning, they too would be gone.

She could say all of this with confidence, because that was how things had been every single morning since she'd come home.

If there was the slightest chance that she might need something, Ianto made sure it was right there for her. She rarely even had a reason to leave the flat, although she'd had the energy and ability to do so for months.

She occasionally wondered if Ianto actually realised the extent to which he was still coddling her.

 

True to form, Ianto arrived back at the flat at five past ten. Lisa let him help her on with her coat; it didn't seem worth picking a fight over.

The drive to the Hub wasn't quite silent, but conversation was sparse. Lisa knew that, despite the last six sets of tests coming back better each time, Ianto worried every time Owen brought her back in for the next ones.

Ianto unlocked the door to the tourist office to let them in, but left the note in the door in place. Today's read 'Closed for staff training,' Lisa noted absently.

She pushed down a tiny twinge of disappointment that, once again, they'd come through this way. She harboured a secret desire to use the invisible lift – in all the months she'd been coming and going from the Hub with Ianto, they'd used the tourist office entrance every time.

One day, she told herself, she was actually just going to _ask_.

When the cog door rolled back, they went straight to the area just off the autopsy bay that had, over the last few months, become a small examination area. The first tests had taken place in the autopsy bay itself, but both Jack and Ianto had objected vehemently to this, and shortly afterwards work had started on clearing out the new space.

The new area also gave the team somewhere slightly more comfortable than the hard autopsy table to rest during treatment if they got injured, so they were all grateful for its creation.

Owen was already there, a small assortment of instruments and equipment on a tray next to him.

Lisa shrugged out of her jacket and hopped up onto the hospital-style bed along the wall. "So, doc, what do you want from me first today?"

The procedure was almost identical every time she came in. A full check-up; sight and hearing tests, reflex tests, strength tests, blowing into the silly little flow meter so Owen had an actual number to record on her lung function. Not to mention answering what Lisa considered to be an ever more ridiculous series of questions that supposedly checked her psychological status.

Ianto, as was his wont, hovered. There wasn't really another word to describe it; he rarely said anything to contribute to the exam, but he would just sort of pause at the entrance to the little medical area and watch.

It drove her mad.


	4. Chapter Four

Jack appeared next to Ianto just as Owen was pulling out the syringe to take the blood samples.

"Hey, everything okay down here?" The question was directed at Owen. Owen simply nodded and carried on preparing the sample tubes.

Jack nudged Ianto's shoulder. "You planning on hanging around here doing nothing all morning, as usual, or is there any hope of a new pot of coffee?" he teased.

"I'm here for Lisa," Ianto replied absently. "And besides…" He looked at his watch and grinned. "I only made a pot ninety minutes ago. Surely your caffeine addiction isn't so bad that you can't last until lunch."

Jack pouted and clasped his hands in front of him. "Please?"

Ianto shook his head. "Lisa needs me here."

Lisa had only been half-paying attention up to this point, but this statement caught her ear. "I'll be okay, Ianto. Really."

He looked ready to protest, but she cut him off. "Owen's been poking and prodding at me with various things for eighteen months so far, and I've made it through it all. I can handle a few little tests and blood draws without you metaphorically holding my hand." She fixed him with a look. "Go make coffee before Jack whines us to death."

She could almost physically see Ianto swallowing an argument before turning to climb the steps back up to the Hub, closely followed by Jack.

She sighed in relief. Owen looked up at her from where he was rubbing her arm to find the vein. "You and Ianto okay?"

She shrugged with the shoulder not attached to the arm Owen was poking a needle into. "Yeah. Well… mostly."

She blew out a breath. "He's just…"

"Overprotective?" Owen connected up the final vacuum sample tube.

She nodded. "Yes, overprotective. And... I… it's not that I don't appreciate everything he does for me. I do. But I'm getting better now. I can do some of these things for myself, but he doesn't let me."

"Have you said anything to him about it?"

Lisa shook her head. "Not… exactly. I don't want to upset him."

"If it's bothering you this much, you need to say something," Owen said bluntly. "Remind him how little he liked being coddled himself when he got injured. Didn't stop whinging about it the whole time."

Lisa dipped her head in acknowledgement as Owen pressed a gauze pad to her arm and slid the needle out.

"Right," Owen slapped on a plaster and held out a cup.

Lisa sighed. "Do I have to?"

"Just double checking that kidney function." Owen reminded her.

"I know, I know," she grumbled, grabbing the cup and slipping off the bed.

 

Owen left some of the blood tests running through the machines when lunch came in. They ate around the conference table; Lisa decided to forgo her usual spot squeezed between Jack and Ianto and take one across the table instead. She told herself that she _would_ say something to Ianto… eventually. She hoped, however, that he would take her seating decision as a small display of independence and that it might be enough to give him a hint.

As ever, lunch with the team was a raucous affair. Friendly jabs were exchanged across the table, and wild stories were told. A good number of the stories were told as a collaborative affair, with Jack doing the bulk of the storytelling, as they filled the newest team member, Gwen, in on the creatures they had encountered, the apocalypses they had prevented, the tech they had found.

Some of them were from times since Lisa had first arrived in Cardiff, and she noticed a great deal of exaggeration was going on when it came to size of creatures or imminence of world-endage.

She didn't bother to correct any of it, however; Gwen would find out for herself soon enough. She liked just observing the team together, watching Ianto tease and joke with them.

As happy as she was to see it, she couldn't help but lament the loss of that aspect of her own relationship with him. He was trying _too_ hard to please her, was too quick to agree with her in any argument. She didn't know how much more of it she could take.


	5. Chapter Five

Lisa was in the kitchen chopping vegetables for their evening meal when Ianto got home that evening. A pack of Weevils had been spotted shortly after he had dropped her at home early that afternoon, and Lisa knew that Ianto had been out rounding them up with the rest of the team for several hours.

He'd sounded shattered when he'd phoned about an hour previously to let her know when he'd be home, and he looked it now.

His exhaustion didn't, however, apparently preclude him from attempting to take over the dinner preparations as soon as he had taken off his shoes and shucked his coat.

"Here, let me do that. You've had a long day."

"I'm fine, Ianto. And you're exhausted," she replied, consciously staying calm.

"I'm not that tired," Ianto lied, smothering a yawn.

"Hogwash," Lisa told him. "You're practically falling asleep on your feet, and don't try to deny it. I'm perfectly capable of doing a bit of chopping and stirring, Ianto. You don't need to treat me like an invalid." Her voice had risen unintentionally as she spoke.

"But you are!" Ianto cried back. "You're still recovering!"

Lisa got to her feet and stood toe to toe with Ianto. "In case it slipped your notice, Owen said today that I was doing brilliantly. Better than expected even. I'm getting better, I can actually cope with things now, but you don't seem to realise that!"

Ianto took a step back. "I know you're getting better, but…"

"But nothing! You say you know that I'm improving, but you're still treating me like I'm this fragile little thing that will break at the slightest pressure!"

"That's not true…" Ianto started.

"Oh really?" Lisa was really getting going now; all of the frustration she'd been keeping under tight control for weeks was spilling out. "You do _everything_ for me. I can't even go to the library by myself. And forget about returning a DVD or going to the shops."

Ianto was reeling. "I do those things for you because I…"

"It's not that I don't appreciate it all," Lisa interrupted, "because I do. I really do. But I want to be allowed to do things for myself sometimes. I want to know that you believe I _can_ do things for myself again, but when you insist on doing everything for me, it only tells me that you _don't_."

Ianto took a step back. He hadn't realised at all that Lisa felt like this. Had been feeling like this for weeks, from the sounds of it. "I never meant to make you feel like that. I really didn't. I just thought I was caring for you."

"There's a fine line between _caring_ and _smothering_," Lisa retorted. "You're still wrapping me up in cotton wool, and it's too much. It's not even just doing everything for me, you keep _agreeing_ with me."

"If I have been, then it's only because…"

"You're still doing it!" Lisa cried out. "I'm not saying I want us to fight about every little thing, but you never used to have a problem with a bit of friendly bickering! Hell, it was practically a cornerstone of our whole relationship. And now you've turned into some sort of… I don't know… some kind of Stepford Boyfriend or something. Whoever it is, it isn't _you_."

Ianto shook his head. "I didn't realise. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better."

Lisa threw her hands up in despair. "But that's the whole point! You keep trying to be 'better', instead of just letting yourself be who you are! I don't know if you're doing it consciously or not, but it seems like you've taken it upon yourself to protect me from everything and everyone in the world, no matter that I don't _need_ it."

She sighed. "Sometimes I even think you're trying to protect me from _you_."

Ianto spluttered. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it? Is it really? If it's so ridiculous, then why couldn't you just come out and tell me you were in love with Jack?"


	6. Chapter Six

Ianto was shocked into silence for a long moment. "Wh…wh…what?"

"You heard me, if you're _not_ protecting me from yourself, why couldn't you come out and tell me you're in love with Jack?"

"But…" Ianto floundered. "How do you even _know_? I mean… I… um…"

"I'm not blind, Ianto, and you and Jack have all but been my whole social sphere for a year and a half. Even when I was too ill to do anything else, I could watch, and listen." She smiled wryly. "I think I've probably known for longer than _you_ have."

Ianto raked a hand through his hair and gripped the back of his neck tensely. "How could I tell you when I could barely admit it to myself?" He sighed. "This is all such a bloody mess." He shook his head, spun on his heel and went back out to the living room, collapsing into a slump on their sofa.

Lisa hesitated for a moment before following him. She sank into the sofa next to him, looking at him in concern.

"I never meant for any of this to happen," he eventually mumbled. "I kept telling myself that once you were all better, everything would just go back to how it was before."

He finally looked up at her. "Maybe that's why I've been having trouble letting go. My subconscious wanted to believe you weren't better yet, so the absolute chaos my feelings are in didn't need to be all sorted yet." He shrugged. "I don't know. I really didn't want it to go like this though; you have to believe me. I just…"

"I know," Lisa said softly, daring to put a hand out to hold his arm. "I can't say it doesn't hurt a little, but… I do sort of understand." She sighed lightly. "For so long our relationship has been that of patient and carer, not of boyfriend and girlfriend, and Jack… well, he's just _been there_."

"He hasn't… I mean, we haven't, you know," Ianto told her quietly. "Nothing's…"

"I never suspected that it had," Lisa interrupted. "I know you too well to believe you'd let yourself do that, no matter what you felt."

She found the strength to smile. "The thing is, I can't really blame you. If he looked at me like he looks at you, I'd probably be half in love with him myself."

Ianto shot her a confused look.

"Oh come _on_," she said. "You can't have missed _all_ of the looks he gives you when he thinks you aren't looking, can you?" As Ianto continued to look clueless, she shook her head. "Or maybe you can. Honestly, you're remarkably oblivious sometimes."

"Oi!" Ianto protested. "Am not."

Lisa raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, grinning as she did it, pleased to see the resurgence of Ianto's willingness to go against her. Even if she was right.

"Okay," he relented a minute later. "Maybe sometimes. Although I'm not convinced in this situation."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both lost in thought as they stared at nothing in particular.

"So where do we go from here?" Ianto eventually ventured.

Lisa tilted her head to the side. "Forwards, I guess. I think we've come way too far to go back."

Ianto nodded and swivelled to face her. "Should we… do you… I do still love you," he said. "I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either," Lisa replied, "but I think we have to, at least to some extent. This just isn't going to work anymore, us as a couple. I still love you too, but…" She bit her lip. "I love you, but I'm not really _in_ love with you anymore."

Ianto sighed and made a slightly strangled sound of agreement.

"I couldn't bear not to have you as a friend, though," she continued. "I…"

"That will never happen," Ianto interrupted firmly. "No matter what else does or doesn't happen between us, I will _always_ be your friend."

There was another long silence.

"So… friends?" Lisa asked tentatively.

Ianto swallowed hard and nodded. "I… yes. Friends. Good friends, I hope. Eventually at least. It might be a little awkward at first."

"And it hasn't been for the last several months?"

Ianto quirked a wry smile. "Point." He blew out a breath. "Could we maybe… keep this to ourselves for now?"

Lisa's eyebrows lifted in question.

"I don't want to get into it with the team quite yet," Ianto explained. "I have the feeling it will bring up a lot of questions I _really_ don't want to answer."


	7. Chapter Seven

Rather to Ianto's surprise, they managed to keep the break-up on the quiet for nearly a fortnight – it wasn't that he doubted either his or Lisa's ability not to say anything; rather that he knew his colleagues too well. They would all deny it if confronted openly, but they were a nosy bunch.

For the most part, they would leave a subject well enough alone if asked – explicitly or not – but, whether it was just part of her eagerness to get to know them or not, Gwen hadn't quite grasped the concept yet.

She had been curious about Lisa since the first time she was mentioned in her presence. Ianto had given her the much-abridged version of the tale, and at the time, it seemed her curiosity had been satisfied.

The questions had started up again after Lisa's visit to the Hub. She wanted to know _everything_. Where they'd met. _How_ they'd met. How they'd found moving in together. Had they discussed marriage?

It was getting harder and harder not to slip up and say something he didn't want to.

Ianto found himself spending even more time than usual in the archives, knowing that Gwen, like the others, didn't dare approach him down there. Part of him whispered that hiding was a rather cowardly way to get out of answering questions he didn't want to answer, but he told that particular little voice he preferred the term 'non-confrontational'.

Whatever he called it, as a method it was working fairly well until he emerged from the archives one evening slightly earlier than usual – he'd hoped it was late enough that, since it had been a quiet day, the rest of the team would have gone home already, but no such luck.

They were all milling around the office area, and it was clear they'd been engaging in another round of light-hearted storytelling.

"…swear he looked like he expected it to sprout horns or something," Gwen was saying as he came within earshot. Suzie looked up as he approached, drawing the attention of the rest of the team to him.

"Hi, Ianto," Gwen said, smiling. "I was just telling the guys about the first time Rhys held his mate's new baby a few days ago. Terrified he would drop the little mite, he was."

"Well, most men are, the first time a tiny baby is placed in their arms," Ianto said calmly, leaning against a railing. He saw Owen and Jack nodding in agreement. "I know I was."

"Really?" Gwen looked honestly surprised. "You don't look the type to be scared by a little baby."

Ianto rolled his eyes just a little. "Really," he intoned. "It was Lisa's youngest niece, and the whole time all I could think was that neither Lisa nor her sister would ever forgive me if I dropped the kid on her head."

"Her youngest? How many nieces does Lisa have?" Gwen asked, her insatiable curiosity and nosiness surfacing again.

Ianto sighed, noticing that none of the others were paying particularly close attention anymore. "Three, aged between seven and four; Lisa's big sister started pretty young," he said succinctly, hoping it was enough to satisfy Gwen for now.

It wasn't.

"So what about you and Lisa then? Do you two want kids?"

He blew out a long breath, groaning internally. "It's a bit of a non-issue now, really."

"Why?"

"Even if we were still together, it would just be too dangerous for her, considering everything that's happened."

Tired and frustrated, Ianto didn't realise quite what he had just said until the looks he was getting from the team registered. "Uh…" Unable to think of anything witty and distracting that might make them forget what he had just revealed, he opted for saying nothing.

For a long moment, none of the others said anything either, and they just stared and Ianto in silence.

"Are you serious? You and Lisa?" Tosh eventually ventured quietly.

Ianto took a deep breath and nodded.

"When did this happen, then?" Jack exclaimed, shock suffusing his tone.

"Just under two weeks ago, now," Ianto admitted.

"But… but…" Jack spluttered. "I've been round to your place three times this last fortnight, and nothing seemed wrong. I… why didn't either of you _say_ anything?"

"We just… wanted a little time to sort through it just the two of us first," Ianto explained, trying desperately to sound as if he was _not_ just making up a reason on the spot. "Figure out exactly where it leaves us, and all that."

"And it's definite?" Tosh asked gently. "You can't work things out?"

"As Lisa put it, we've come too far to go back," Ianto answered.

"Are you okay?" Jack said sympathetically. "Both of you? Especially still living together."

"We're good," Ianto told him sincerely, cracking his first smile since the conversation had taken its awkward turn. "Surprisingly so, actually."

It wasn't a lie. Ever since the fight and subsequent talk that had led to their break-up, Ianto and Lisa had been getting on better than they had for months. Now that the pressure of pretending that everything was still perfect in their relationship had been lifted from their shoulders, they were finding themselves free to just be Ianto and Lisa again; the Ianto and Lisa that had been such good friends long before they ever became a couple.

It was still taking a concerted effort on Ianto's part to stop himself from just doing everything for her – he'd been doing it for so long it had become a habit – but with Lisa's newfound willingness to nag at him every time he did it, it was slowly growing easier.

Maybe things would 'come good' in the end after all.


	8. Chapter Eight

"I think you should ask Jack out."

Ianto's head snapped around to look at Lisa so quickly his neck jolted almost painfully. "_What_?"

"You heard me; I think you should ask Jack out." Lisa calmly took another spoonful of ice-cream and settled back against the sofa cushions.

Ianto just stared at her in silence, his mouth open. For a moment, Lisa's attention was drawn back to the movie they'd been watching – an old favourite they'd seen so many times they could practically recite it.

"What?" she smiled, looking back at him. "It's not _that_ outrageous a suggestion."

Ianto shook himself. "Maybe not under some circumstances," he managed, "but considering the situation we're in here, it _is_ more than just a little bit odd."

"Because I'm your flatmate?" Lisa asked, an overly innocent look on her face. "Or, oh… maybe it's the ex-girlfriend thing."

Ianto's eyebrows raised. "Yes, there's the ex-girlfriend thing. There's also the 'we only broke up a month ago' thing and, even more so, the 'my feelings for Jack were one of the contributing factors to said break-up' thing. It's _odd_."

Lisa shook her head at him indulgently. "You're making it all too complicated, when it really isn't. Maybe it's only _officially_ been a month since we called time on our relationship, but unofficially? I think you know as well as I do that we were on very shaky ground for a long time before that. We hadn't _really_ been a couple for well over a year, not properly. And that would have eventually come to a head, your feelings for Jack or not."

Ianto was still somewhat flabbergasted. "I… but…"

"Really, I don't see what's stopping you," Lisa told him.

Ianto stared at her again for a few seconds.

"What?"

"How are you so… so… _okay_ with all of this?"

Lisa shrugged. "I've had a lot more time to get used to the idea, I guess."

That confused Ianto a little. "How do you figure that one?"

"I've been watching you, both of you, for a long time now, Ianto," Lisa smiled. "I think I knew we were headed here eventually from a few months after we arrived in the Hub. I've watched you and Jack dancing around each other, neither of you trying to take it any further even though you both clearly wanted to."

Ianto sighed sadly. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to make you feel like…"

"Ianto, stop," Lisa interrupted. "Stop apologising."

"But…"

"No buts. You have nothing to apologise for. _Really_. Any apologies that were necessary you've already given, and I've accepted them."

"Doesn't mean I don't still feel guilty about it though," Ianto said quietly. "I was with you; you needed me. And then, despite my best efforts, I went and fell for the boss. Not exactly boyfriend of the year material."

"Didn't mean you weren't there for me, though. Everything I needed, you were there, giving it to me. Even when I didn't need it anymore."

She shot him a sly look, teasing gently about his still lingering tendency to coddle her. "You're entirely too hard on yourself, Ianto. You need to let up on some of that guilt before it bogs you down. Take a chance. Ask him out. And I'll eat my metaphorical hat if he turns you down." She grinned.

Ianto twisted his hands in his lap, his eyes dropped to watch them. "I have thought about it," he admitted. "Once or twice." He looked up again at Lisa. "But every time it made me feel so awful about even considering it so soon after…"

He paused. "You're really _that_ okay with all of this?"

She nodded. "I think that was probably when I realised that I wasn't _in love_ with you anymore – when I thought about you and Jack giving it a shot, and wasn't upset. If it makes you happy, go for it."

Ianto took a deep breath and nodded, smiling back at her. "I think I will."


	9. Chapter Nine

Lisa was curled up on the sofa watching endless, ridiculously disordered but still quietly enjoyable, repeats of 'Friends' on E4 when Ianto stumbled tiredly through the front door that evening.

"Hard day?" she asked, looking up as he shrugged out of his coat and took off his shoes at the door.

"Not particularly," he said, leaning against the arm of the sofa for a moment. "Just long."

Lisa nodded, going back to the show as he pushed upright again and headed towards the kitchen. "There's some potato bake left for you in the fridge, by the way."

"Thanks," he called back from the other room.

One of the things Ianto had finally eased up on was his previous insistence on doing all of the major cooking for both of them. Before, the only 'cooking' she had been 'allowed' to do was assembling sandwiches for her lunch and occasionally ordering take-away for both of them if Ianto was running late of an evening.

He still preferred, when he was home early enough to do so, to be the one doing the cooking (and Lisa had to admit that he was actually a better cook than she was), but in the last few weeks he had finally started to accept that, especially on days when he was home a little later, it made more sense for her to cook.

She was home all day, almost every day, she had argued. What else did she have to do? Slowly, she was easing him into loosening his tight grip and letting her take over a variety of the household chores. Grocery shopping, a bit of light cleaning and occasionally cooking were all well within her capabilities.

If she listened under the sound of the TV, she could hear the distinctive sounds of the fridge being opened and then the microwave running.

A few minutes and some quiet clattering around the kitchen later, Ianto sank down beside her, plucking a cushion from behind them to put on his lap to shield his legs from the hot plate of food.

Another episode began on the TV just as Ianto dug into the meal. "I think I've seen this one before," he said between mouthfuls.

Lisa just grinned at him. "Ianto, like nearly everyone in the whole of the Western world, you've probably seen them all. Twice."

He nodded and continued to eat.

"So," Lisa started with a smirk another several minutes later, "any 'progress' today?"

She'd asked this question, or some variant on it, every night for the last six days. And every day, she'd received a wandering roundabout answer that all came down to the same thing: no, Ianto hadn't asked Jack out yet.

She looked at him, waiting, with her eyebrows raised. He swallowed the final bite of potato bake and carefully placed the plate on the floor next to his side of the sofa, clearly stalling for time.

"Well," he started slowly, "the thing is, I was busy in the archives for most of the day, so…"

"So no, you chickened out. Again," Lisa interrupted.

"Oi!" Ianto glared at her good-humouredly. "I did not _chicken out_. I just… didn't find an appropriate moment."

"You've been 'not finding an appropriate moment' for nearly a _week_ now," she pointed out. "I think that excuse is wearing somewhat thin."

Ianto sighed. "It's just… it's awkward, okay? I've been trying _not_ to think about starting anything with him for… a while, and… he's your friend too. Even though you're the one pushing me to go ahead and do this, there's something in me still feels a bit guilty about it." He lifted a shoulder sheepishly. "Plus I'm sort of worried he'll say no."

She shook her head at him. "Now that one I _know_ isn't going to happen. Remember what I told you before, Ianto. I've been watching him when you're not looking. He's not going to say no."

"But…"

"But nothing, Jones. If you don't ask him soon, I'm going to be forced to go down there and do it _for_ you."

Ianto's expression was somewhere between horrified and hopeful.

"And no, that's _not_ a good idea," she continued with a mischievous smirk. "You don't want to know what I'd say."

Ianto's brow furrowed in thought for a second before he nodded. "You're right. I really don't."

"You'd better get to it soon then, hadn't you?" Lisa smiled.

 

The smile on Ianto's face when he walked in the door the following evening told her everything she needed to know without even a word being spoken. His step was just minutely lighter, and happy anticipation mingled with nerves on his face.

She grinned up at him as he shook the rain off his coat. "He said yes?"

Ianto nodded, a joyous laugh clearly trying to break free. "He said yes."


	10. Chapter Ten

Ianto was pacing. Still dressed only in a towel from his shower, he paced in circles around the living room, talking to himself under his breath.

It was driving Lisa around the bend.

"Ianto, you're making me dizzy," she said eventually. "Please, calm down. Or if you can't calm down, at least _sit_ down."

When she'd finally managed to weasel the details out of him several days previously, he'd admitted that the actual details of what would be his first date with Jack had rather eluded him. Looking back on it, he'd said, he was even more amazed that Jack had agreed, given the vagueness of his request.

Luckily for Ianto, she'd had plenty of suggestions. Places they could go eat that were nice, but not _so_ nice that they were unaffordable, places that were appropriate and easy to get a reservation at – and nowhere with a dress code that required a tie; she didn't want to put Ianto in the situation of trying to persuade Jack to wear one. Exhibitions that were on around the city. Movies coming out soon that she thought they would both enjoy.

She hadn't openly admitted that she'd anticipated the situation; anticipated that Ianto would be too busy worrying about whether Jack would want to go with him or not to worry about the specifics, and spent a little time on the Internet researching possibilities. She suspected that Ianto knew anyway, considering the look he'd given her when she'd started spouting possibilities.

With a little prodding, he'd narrowed her suggestions down to a shortlist before the evening was through, insisting that Jack should be consulted before any final decisions were made.

He'd come through the door the following evening with, frankly, a slightly shell-shocked expression. There was happiness underneath it, but he had clearly been a little astounded at the turn his life had suddenly taken.

Jack had cornered him in the Tourist Office that afternoon, he'd told her in a dazed voice, during the few hours he generally tried to open it each day to maintain the illusion that it _was_ what it looked like. Cornered him and then turned uncharacteristically shy, asking Ianto tentatively if his date invitation the previous day had been serious, if he hadn't changed his mind.

Several equally shy assurances from Ianto and a short discussion later, they had fixed upon that night – Rift allowing.

The Rift, for once, had co-operated, and Jack had shooed everyone out of the Hub early. That had left Ianto _more_ than enough time to get ready, which meant he had plenty time left over to fret.

When her words didn't have the intended effect, Lisa stood up and gripped him by the shoulders as he passed the sofa, pressing gently down to physically urge him to _sit_. His mutterings silenced as he dutifully perched on the edge of the sofa, but his leg was still jiggling restlessly.

She sat down next to him, putting a firm hand on his towel-covered knee, and waited.

"What if it all just goes… _wrong_?" he finally asked several long minutes later.

Lisa just smiled indulgently and shook her head softly. "It's not going to go wrong, Ianto. Trust me. How long have you been friends with him now? How many dinners have you shared? Just because it's a date this time doesn't mean that suddenly everything has to be different."

"But things _are_ different," Ianto rejoined. "It's a _date_. I don't even know what to _wear_. And I _always_ know what to wear." He threw his hands up in frustration.

"Now that one is easy," Lisa told him. "Dress trousers, and that soft purple shirt you've had hanging in your wardrobe for over a year and never worn." She grinned. "If I know what Jack likes, and I think I do, he won't be able to pick his jaw up from the floor when he sees you in that."

Ianto looked at her doubtfully, nibbling his bottom lip. "You think so?"

"I know so," she nodded. "So just relax and go get dressed. You _know_ Jack; it's all going to be fine."

Ianto quirked a smile at her. "I knew you too, before our first date. Didn't stop me going out of my mind with nerves. Don't think I've been as nervous since, actually. Until tonight."

Lisa stood up and offered him a hand up. "And, just like that night, tonight is going to turn out fantastically. Now go, get dressed, and _stop worrying_."

Ianto let her tug him up and gave her a cheeky mock-salute. "Yes, ma'am."


	11. Chapter Eleven

"If you don't have chocolate cake in that box there's going to be bloodshed," Lisa warned smilingly as she opened the door for Jack.

Jack obediently lifted the top of the bakery box, displaying the gooey chocolate cake that Lisa had requested – no, demanded – the last time he'd been over.

"Mmm…" Lisa reached out a finger to swipe some of the thick chocolate icing from the top of the cake, but Jack slapped the box closed. "Hey!"

"If I have to be good, you have to be good," Jack said, stepping forward to allow her to shut the front door behind him. "And yes, we have to be good," he continued before she could protest. "If we're not, Ianto will get that _look_."

Lisa nodded. Oh yes, she knew the 'look'.

The man in question chose that moment to poke his head through the door at the other side of the living room – the one leading towards the bedrooms and bathroom – with a towel still in hand as he finished rubbing his hair dry. "Hi, Jack, I thought I heard the door."

He shook his head to the side as if trying to get some water out of his ear. "I'll be back in just a minute. I still don't quite feel like I've managed to get all that gloop off me."

It had been a long day for the Torchwood team, with all of them, including Ianto, spending the majority of it tracking a very odd energy reading around the outskirts of Cardiff. When they'd finally managed to get a fix on it, it had turned out to be an almost translucent gelatinous alien that didn't take very kindly to being disturbed.

Jack had, apparently, revelled in the opportunity to play with the big gun, but, while it proved very effective in destroying the alien, it also covered them all in its extremely gooey insides.

Ianto had come home in his spare clothes, grumbling through the story as he tried to assess if the suit he'd been wearing was saveable or not. He had, he told her, at least convinced Jack to leave his coat in the SUV before taking the big gun out. Lisa knew that he was almost despairing as to how many more creative stories he could come up with for the dry cleaners.

"So, what's on the menu tonight, then?" Jack asked, putting the cake box down gently beside him as he unlaced his boots.

"Food-wise or movie-wise?" Lisa asked, picking the box up and carting it through to the kitchen.

He grinned. "Both."

"Well, food-wise we are having a fantastic chicken casserole I prepared this morning," Lisa smiled back, "so you'll like it or else. Movie-wise… we'll see."

"We can take a vote on it," Ianto said as he came back into the room, the towel gone but his hair still looking casually rumpled.

Lisa watched as a tiny spark lit up in Jack's eyes at Ianto's presence. Their first date, nearly a week ago now, had – just as she had predicted – been a resounding success.

She'd been asleep by the time Ianto got home, but had been awake before he left for work the following morning. The lingering mix of excitement and contentment had still been evident on his face. Lisa didn't need to ask for details to guess how it had gone – although that hadn't stopped her asking anyway.

If that hadn't been enough proof, they'd gone out again last night. Ianto's nerves, so nearly crippling before the first date, had been subsumed by his curiosity as to what Jack had planned, as he'd refused to give him any details beyond 'dress casually'.

Lisa had yet to coax any of the oh-so-secretive details out of Ianto, but given the looks on their faces now, she felt confident in assuming that things were progressing _just_ nicely.

Jack's grin grew wider. "Well, at least that would prevent yet another viewing of Ocean's 13." He smirked at Lisa. "Two votes to one on that one."

Moments later, there was a beeping from the kitchen, signalling that Lisa's cookery-timing had been perfect, and the casserole was ready.


	12. Chapter Twelve

The casserole was good, and gelatinous-alien hunting was clearly hungry work, because Jack and Ianto wolfed down huge servings each while Lisa took hers at a little more leisurely pace.

No matter how good it was, though, it could never have lived up to the rich chocolate cake they followed it with. The relaxed chatter that had filled the kitchen through the main course was silent as they took their first bites, to be replaced with tiny sounds of pleasure as they savoured the dessert.

In the end, a vote wasn't required on the movie choice for the night; a quick perusal of their options was all it took for them to all agree on comedy action fun of the first 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film. The series had been a mainstay of their movie nights ever since the beginning, when they'd been held in a small room in the Hub, with a tiny portable DVD player.

They could all three of them recite every word, but it didn't diminish their enjoyment of the ridiculous capers.

Lisa was still caught up enough in the film that she didn't notice the slight weight against her shoulder until the end credits began to roll. She nudged Jack on her other side and inclined her head to indicate to him where Ianto had dozed off on her shoulder.

Something softened behind Jack's eyes, and he reached over her to shake Ianto's shoulder very gently.

Ianto's eyes fluttered wide open and he straightened up on the sofa. "Huh? Wha?"

"You fell asleep," Lisa pointed out with a smile, the fact that it wasn't _her_ for a change clearly amusing her.

"Oh." Ianto yawned and he blinked several times rapidly. "It's been a long day, I guess." His gaze shifted to Jack. "And _someone_ kept me out past bedtime last night."

"Sorry," Jack said, although his expression was unrepentant.

The credits finished, the DVD switched back to the title menu and, as one, they got to their feet. Ianto yawned again and swayed tiredly, his eyes already beginning to drift closed again.

"I'm gonna go to bed before I -" Another yawn. "-fall over," he said, leaning forward to kiss Lisa's forehead goodnight, as had become their habit.

He paused in front of Jack, looking unsure. Jack took the decision out of his hands by leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. "Goodnight, Ianto."

"G'night." Ianto stumbled backwards for a few steps before turning around and shuffling sleepily out of the room.

Jack turned to Lisa. "You must be getting a bit tired yourself. It is getting on a bit."

She shrugged. "A little."

He nodded and took a step towards the door. "I should probably be getting going anyway." Another step.

Lisa saw him to the door and waited while he pulled on his boots. When he stood up, he looked more nervous than she remembered ever seeing him.

"Lisa…" he started hesitantly. "I…"

"What is it, Jack?" Lisa asked, wondering if there was something she should be worried about. "Is something wrong that I should know about?"

"No, no." He shook his head. "There's nothing wrong. At least, I hope there isn't." He took a deep, steadying breath. "It's just… are you really okay with this? I mean, Ianto said you were, and it's not that I don't believe him, or at least believe that _he_ believes, but I just…"

Lisa held up a hand, cutting him off before he could really work himself up into a nervous ramble. "By 'this' I'm assuming you mean you and Ianto beginning a romantic relationship?"

Jack nodded mutely.

Lisa smiled at him indulgently. "Who do you think it was that encouraged him to actually finally make a move?"

Jack looked mildly startled.

"I'm not an idiot, Jack, and I do have eyes. You've both wanted this for a very long time. A lot longer than Ianto and I have been broken up, even. And Ianto wouldn't have just gone for it all on his own – he's still worried that it's too soon, but that's just Ianto's overdeveloped sense of guilt."

"So… it's not too soon?" Jack checked cautiously.

Lisa shook her head. "Not as far as I'm concerned."

Jack heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. Good." He drew her into a tight friendly hug. "Goodnight, Lisa. I'll see you soon."

And with that, he was out of the door and away into the night.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Ianto had a smile on his face as he dug out his keys to open the front door. He was running a bit late – not _very_ late, but late enough that Lisa had probably given up on waiting and started on dinner preparations – but for a change, for the first time in a week and a half, it wasn't because the Rift had spit out something nasty that had kept them running around for hours.

He'd been on his way out – the rest of the team having gone already – when Jack had waylaid him and dragged him into his office for a 'chat'. Ianto touched a finger to his lips meditatively. They _had_ talked – briefly – but Jack had mostly just taken the opportunity to indulge in a long-awaited snogging session.

Ianto's smile grew wider as he turned the key in the lock and let his mind drift a little. With the high Rift activity levels in the past week, he and Jack hadn't had a chance to see each other in anything other than a professional capacity. Their fledgling relationship had been pushed onto the back burner, and Ianto hadn't realised how much he'd come to miss it in such a short time – they'd only been dating for a few weeks, after all.

He pushed open the door, half expecting to smell and hear the evidence of Lisa's impatience about dinner from the kitchen; he was surprised when there was none. Lisa was ensconced on the sofa, surrounded by newspapers and computer print-outs, holding a bright yellow highlighter in her hand.

"Hey," he said, his confusion evident. "What are you up to?"

"Hey," she replied, looking up momentarily from her perusal of the newspaper page in front of her. "I'm looking at jobs."

Ianto paused in hanging up his jacket and looked at her in shock. "You're what?"

She looked back patiently. "I'm looking at jobs," she repeated.

Ianto finished putting his coat away quickly and turned to stare at her. "I… I don't understand. Why?"

She gave him a look that would have seemed condescending to a small child. "Because I'm thinking of getting one," she said slowly.

Ianto looked at her with concern. "You know what I meant. Are you sure you're even ready for that?" He held up his hands before she could protest. "Yes, yes, I know you're not an invalid. I know you can get out and do things for yourself. It's just… a job? Really?"

"Really," Lisa said firmly. "I want to do this."

"You do still sometimes get tired though, especially if you're busy all day," Ianto said, trying not to coddle her but still worried for her.

"Yes, I know," Lisa conceded, "which is why I'm looking at part-time positions, and nothing as physically demanding as what I used to do in London. Sitting down jobs only, I promise. For now at least."

Ianto didn't look quite convinced. "You know you don't have to, right? I'm making enough to support us." Jack had made sure of it. Shortly after he had first brought Lisa home, Jack had not so subtly given him a pay raise. When Ianto had protested, Jack had simply justified it by giving the others one too – although Ianto wasn't sure it had been entirely proportionate.

"I know, Ianto," Lisa nodded. "It's not about the money. It's just something I need to do."

Ianto moved a few of the papers out of the way carefully, noting various things that were highlighted and circled on them as he took their place on the sofa. "Well, if you're sure…"

Lisa put her hand on his arm. "I am."

He flicked through the circled and highlighted ads, assessing them in his own mind as to how much Lisa would enjoy or excel at them. "So what brought this on suddenly today, then? You haven't mentioned anything about this before."

"I've actually been thinking about it for a while," Lisa admitted. "It just took me until today to actually do something about it." She shrugged. "I think maybe it could have been something my mum said on the phone earlier, I don't know. I know that she's always been all for me being able to look out for myself, so maybe that's it. I just know that I hung up and decided it was time to finally do something about getting myself a job."

Ianto nodded; knowing Lisa's mum as well as he did, it was entirely possible. She'd sat Ianto down not long after he'd first started dating Lisa and made it very clear that if Ianto expected Lisa to quit work and act the 'little woman' for him, he could say goodbye right there and then. Once he'd assured her that he expected anything but, they'd gotten along brilliantly.

Finding a way for Lisa to be able to get back in touch with her family once she was sufficiently healed had been a touch of genius, if Ianto said so himself. With a little help from Tosh on modifying hospital records, Ianto had discovered that despite its reputation as a trashy soap-opera trope, people would still believe stories involving comas and amnesia.

He glanced at his watch and then at the kitchen. "Hey, you fancy take away for dinner tonight?"


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Lisa looked up as Ianto came in from work. "Hey, good day?"

Ianto nodded, looking a little tired but still with a smile on his face. "Was okay."

"So," she smirked, "I didn't hear you get home last night. Again."

A blush worked its way up Ianto's neck and one hand came up to rub at his nape. "Um… well…"

Lisa's smirk grew wider at Ianto's clear embarrassment. "You know, it doesn't bother me that you sometimes stay over in the Hub with Jack after you've been out. Or any other time, for that matter. You've been seeing each other for nearly two months, I'd be more surprised if you _didn't_ spend the night sometimes."

Ianto's blush just deepened. "Erm…"

Lisa laughed. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, Ianto."

Ianto glared at her and loosened his tie. "I… I'm not embarrassed. I just… don't want to discuss this with you right now."

Lisa just raised an eyebrow at him. "Try that one someone who doesn't _know_ you, Ianto Jones. Your 'embarrassed' look hasn't changed one iota since I first met you when you were 16."

"I'm… okay, so maybe I am a tiny little bit embarrassed," conceded Ianto, "but I think I have good reason to be. And I still don't want to talk about it."

Lisa blithely ignored protestations. "You should really just bring him back here, you know. I've seen Jack's little room at the Hub, and that _can't_ be comfortable. It's barely big enough for one person, let alone two, and-"

"Lisa!" Ianto choked out, interrupting her. "Please, stop." He took a breath. "I am not bringing Jack back here for… to spend the night. Besides the fact that it would leave the Hub unmonitored overnight – and I'm not sure Jack would agree to that – it's just… The very idea just feels all wrong to me."

"If I wasn't your ex-girlfriend, would you be okay with it?" Lisa asked.

Ianto threw up his hands. "But you are. It's not like that's about to change."

"I know, I know," she soothed. "But, hypothetically, if I was just some random friend, would you be fine with bringing Jack back?"

Ianto hesitated for a second. "If Jack was fine with it… then probably, yes. But that's all hypothetical. You're _not_ just 'some random friend', and I feel really awkward about it."

"You don't have to, though," Lisa said. "I don't."

Ianto sighed. "Yes, but don't you think you _should_? I mean… we were together for years, and then I start seeing Jack practically as soon as we break up and…"

"Which _I_ encouraged you to do, if you remember," Lisa interjected.

He made a strangled noise in his throat. "I know, but it doesn't make me feel any more comfortable about this." He looked hard at her. "Can you really imagine getting up in the morning for breakfast and finding Jack here and that _not_ being just a little bit weird?"

Lisa semi-shrugged. "Maybe a little, the first time, but no more so than it was when I was living with Tracey at Uni, I don't think."

Ianto looked supremely unconvinced, and Lisa noticed it.

"Look," she started pragmatically, "why don't you just try it and see? Next time you guys go out, or stay in, or whatever, invite him back. If it's really awkward, like you think it will be, then you never need to do it again."

Ianto was still sceptical, but nodded.

 

Jack was fully dressed and had a coffee mug held to his lips, his eyes closed in an expression of contented bliss, when Lisa stumbled into the kitchen in her pyjamas a few mornings later. Ianto turned from the coffee machine, his own mug of freshly poured coffee in hand, at her entrance.

"Morning," he said, a faintly cautious undertone to his voice. "Umm… sleep okay?"

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, thanks. You?" Her eyebrows lifted in a lascivious waggle that Ianto was sure she'd picked up from Jack.

Ianto grinned, pushing away the slight lingering uncomfortable feeling in the back of his mind. "I slept just fine, thanks."

Lisa turned her gaze on Jack. "I'd ask how _you_ slept, but I know that you don't, really."

Jack smirked. "Oh, if someone tires me out in just the right way I do." His sidelong glance at Ianto was filled with a heady mix of affection and deep lust; he _clearly_ wasn't feeling any of the mild discomfiture Ianto was. "And someone to snuggle up to doesn't hurt, either."

Lisa, much to Ianto's relief, just grinned.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Lisa smiled up at Ianto as he dropped onto the sofa next to her, DVD player remote in hand. "Not seeing Jack tonight, then?"

Ianto shook his head. "Nah. Guess you're stuck with me."

Lisa threw her arm across her forehead over-dramatically. "Oh, how shall I ever survive such torture and torment?"

He laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way." He waggled the DVD remote. "If my company gets to be truly too awful, just concentrate harder on the movie. Given that your favourite Mr. Depp is the star, I don't imagine that will be too much of a chore."

Lisa smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. "Oh, it really wouldn't be, but I'm looking forward more actually to spending an evening with you. Don't get me wrong, I adore Jack." She smirked. "And I know _you_ do. But it's nice just to spend some time together just the two of us."

Ianto nodded. "It is. And I'm sorry; we haven't really done it a lot the last couple of weeks, have we? I've just… I let myself get caught up in Jack, I guess."

"Maybe a little," Lisa smiled, thinking of just how much of Jack she'd seen herself, now that Ianto had finally gotten over his hang-ups about inviting him back to the flat of an evening. And even on nights that he and Ianto hadn't designated as a 'date night', Jack would often be found hanging around their flat, as likely to be gossiping like a little old lady with Lisa as he was to be attempting to molest Ianto in the kitchen (Ianto's description, not Jack's).

"Not that that's a bad thing," she added. "And I certainly don't blame you. You've been lusting after him for so long, you've got a lot of time to make up for." She nudged him again. "And I bet Jack knows all sorts of ways to make it up."

"Lisa…" Ianto said in a low, slightly strangled voice. He had his suspicions about where this line of conversation was leading. "If you're about to ask what I think you're about to ask… well, please don't ask it."

Lisa pouted playfully. Ianto sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, alright then. Ask. But I'm not promising that I'll answer."

A grin lit up Lisa's face. "He's good, isn't he? I bet he's good. I mean, he's had all these years to… refine his skills. Surely he's good."

Ianto said nothing, but couldn't suppress the small smile that worked its way onto his lips.

Lisa poked at him. "Well?"

He shook his head. "I'm not saying anything." The smile didn't diminish, though, and Lisa spotted it and bounced a little in glee.

"You don't have to. That little smile says it all. He's _good_."

Ianto swallowed hard and tried to ignore Lisa's stare. "I'm starting the film now."

Lisa snatched the remote control out of his hand and returned the DVD to its title screen. "Not until you answer the question."

Ianto glowered at Lisa for a moment before sighing. "Okay, okay. Alright, yes. He's good. Very good, even. Now can we watch the movie?" He reached down the side of the sofa for the DVD case, waggling it in front of Lisa. "Johnny Depp? Singing?"

Lisa pushed the case out of the way and shook her head. "Oh no, you don't get away that easily. You can't just tell me 'very good' and not give me details."

"Nuh-uh." Ianto shook his head vehemently. "I am not going there. No. No way."

"Oh come on," Lisa said, a little bit of a whine entering her tone. "I already know he's the first man you've actually slept with." She paused and shot him a sidelong look. "You _are_ shagging Jack, right?"

Ianto felt his cheeks heating and screwed his eyes shut, regretting that, as a seventeen year old, he had given into Lisa – then just a good friend – and spilled a few details about some of the guys he dated, including the fact that he'd never gone 'all the way' with any of them.

If he'd thought of it earlier, he would have been waiting for her to start asking him about his love life with Jack – after all, she'd asked about almost every boy he'd gone out with in the nearly two years they'd been friends before finally starting to date.

He opened his eyes and found Lisa still looking at him expectantly. He shook his head in disbelief at himself and threw caution to the wind. "Yes. Yes, we are."

"And? How did it go? Were you worried? Scared? Was it worth waiting for?" Lisa's eyes were wide and curious.

Ianto smiled in reminiscence. "It went just fine, thank you very much," he said. "And yes, it was absolutely 100% worth waiting for."

"So, is it different than what you were expecting?" Lisa asked, inquisitively. "Is it really all that different to sleeping with girls? Is it…?"

Ianto chuckled, despite himself. "How many of these questions do you have? Have you been waiting and storing them up or something?"

Lisa shrugged. "Quite a few, actually. And yes."

He shook his head and grinned. "How about I call Jack now and we can shag on the floor in front of you? Would that satisfy your curiosity? Answer your questions?"

Lisa tilted her head, as if seriously considering it. "Well, if you're suggesting it..." she smirked.

Ianto threw back his head and laughed out loud. "Remind me again why I was ever worried about making things awkward for you," he said, looking over at her. "You're a menace."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Ianto lifted the tray of drinks higher as he swerved around a man who was clearly more than a little bit tipsy and continued back to the table in the corner where Lisa and the rest of the Torchwood team waited.

Setting the tray down on the edge of the table, he started distributing the drinks, idly wondering when this part of the job had started to feel so natural even when he wasn't at work.

He counted the order off the tray. "One pint of tap water, one diet coke, one white wine spritzer, one vodka and coke, one-two pints of lager, and me."

Picking up his own pint, he nudged the tray towards the centre of the table and reclaimed his seat between Jack and Lisa.

"I should really take the tray back," he said lazily, taking a sip of his drink, "but I can't be bothered. Whoever goes up for the next round can just take it."

"Well, it makes sense," Owen agreed, already having taken a healthy gulp of his pint. "They'll need to bring it back anyway, with the next round of booze."

Ianto nodded, grinning. "S'the most efficient way."

Jack smiled and lifted his glass. "So, before you lot have drunk too much… I'd like to propose a toast to the lady of the hour." He grinned at Lisa. "To Lisa, who has come so far and starts a new job on Monday."

Lisa shrugged modestly. "It's only a part-time admin post…"

Jack stared at her incredulously. "_Only_ a part-time admin post, _only_?" He shook his head. "Given what you've been through in the last two years, it's a _lot_."

Lisa tilted her head in acquiescence.

"_Anyway_," Jack continued, trying to bring the conversation back on track. "To Lisa." He lifted his glass of water towards her. The others lifted theirs to meet it, chorusing "To Lisa."

Lisa ducked her head, her eyes dropping to look at the tabletop.

Ianto put an arm around her shoulders and leant in, pressing a kiss to the side of her forehead. "You may as well stop pretending you're embarrassed being the centre of attention," he whispered in her ear, not quite loud enough for the others to hear over the background noise of the pub. "I _know_ you love it really."

She rolled a shoulder, dislodging his arm, and made as if to elbow him in the ribs, laughing quietly. "Shhh," she hissed. "_They_ don't know that."

"Actually," Jack leant over, practically draping himself over Ianto, "we do. Or at least, I do."

"You don't count," she retorted, prodding at his shoulder. "And sit down, you octopus you. _They_ are getting suspicious."

When Ianto looked over Jack's shoulder, he found that, in fact, Gwen, Tosh, Suzie and Owen had all quite happily gone back to conversing easily with each other, and were completely ignoring Jack, Ianto and Lisa.

It wasn't an entirely uncommon situation – whenever the whole group of them were together, even in the Hub, Jack, Ianto and Lisa tended to end up just a little apart from the others. Ianto suspected that the number of hours Jack spent at their flat – and had done for so long – had a lot to do with it.

Several hours – and even more drinks – later, the three of them found themselves alone at their table, the others having disappeared one by one as the evening went on – Gwen, Suzie and then Tosh purportedly left to go home; when left with just the three for company, Owen had declared that it was past time he was out on the pull, but to Ianto's ear, it didn't quite ring true.

Lisa was slowly making her way back from the ladies' through the still-crowded pub when someone stepped into her path. Ianto caught the movement from the corner of his eye and pushed Jack's hand away where it was fiddling with one of the buttons on his shirt so he could lean over and get a better look.

"Hey!" Jack complained with a noticeable pout. "What's that for?"

"Sorry," Ianto mumbled, patting Jack's thigh absently. "I just want to make sure Lisa's okay."

"Why? What's happened to her?" asked Jack, pushing Ianto further over so he could see for himself what Ianto had been looking at.

Just then, Lisa glanced over, shooting them a desperate, pleading look.

Jack and Ianto looked at each other for a moment, quickly coming to a decision without actually exchanging any words.

Ianto stood up and wended his way through the hustle and bustle to reach Lisa's side. Putting his arm around her waist familiarly, he smiled disarmingly at the man now in front of him.

"Hi, darling," he said, turning his head to address Lisa. "Who's your new friend?"

He was astonished to discover quite how intimidating he apparently appeared, judging by the speed with which Lisa's erstwhile suitor stammered an apology and fled.

"Are you okay?" he asked her once the other man was well out of earshot.

Just as she started to reply, Jack appeared beside them, all of their coats slung across an arm.

Lisa took hers gratefully, glad that Jack had anticipated her reaction. "Thanks," she told him. "I was just going to ask if we could maybe go home."

"All part of the service," Jack assured her, smiling slightly.

"What happened?" Ianto asked as they emerged into the night air. "Was he bothering you, or…?"

"Not really," Lisa told them. "He seemed nice, even. I just… I think I started thinking about everything too much, and … panicked a bit." She smiled wryly. "Maybe I'm not quite as recovered as I thought I was. My only _real_ social interaction for most of the last couple of years has been with you two and the rest of your colleagues. It might take a bit of getting used to other people properly again."

"You'll do fine," Ianto assured her. "You'll do fine."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Lisa startled a little as the front door swung open and hit pause on the DVD so she could look around. She wasn't expecting Ianto back for hours yet, if he returned at all.

Jack was vehemently defending himself for… something, when he and Ianto came through the door.

"I'm just saying, I think he was…"

He and Ianto appeared to noticed Lisa, and her co-worker and new friend Kate, watching them curiously.

"You're… back," said Lisa, "at 8 o'clock." The unspoken question was inherent in the words.

Ianto shot a brief heatless glare in Jack's direction. "That would be because _someone_ – not naming any names – got us kicked out of the film."

"That usher was just prejudiced," Jack complained. "Took exception to me for no reason whatsoever."

"Uh-huh," Ianto said, rolling his eyes. "No reason at all."

Kate was looking between the pair of them, utter bewilderment on her face. Lisa spotted it and rushed to help. "Oh, sorry. Kate, this is Ianto, and his boyfriend, Jack." She paused, looking at the pair of them. "Is it 'boyfriend'? I just realised I never asked what you were going with."

Ianto and Jack exchanged a look and shrugged in unison. "Boyfriend is fine, I suppose," Ianto said.

Lisa nodded. "This is Kate; we work together."

The three exchanged slightly awkward waves.

Ianto leant to the side slightly, twisting to see the TV screen. "So, what are you two watching?"

Lisa held up the DVD case, waving it. Jack grinned. "Oh, that is so much better than that crap we were watching at the cinema anyway," he said cheekily.

Stripping off his coat and boots swiftly - remembering for once to hang the coat on a hook next to the door and not just toss it over the back of the sofa – Jack strode across the room and dropped into the one remaining spot at the end of the sofa.

Lisa nudged him with her elbow. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist."

Ianto took a step towards the kitchen, where he could get an extra chair, but Jack grabbed his hand, forestalling him. Before he could even start to turn around and ask Jack what he wanted, he found himself planted on Jack's lap, Jack's arms firmly around his waist to keep him there.

"Jack!" he exclaimed, wriggling a bit. "What are you doing?"

Jack's arms tightened fractionally. "Ooh, just keep wriggling like that," he leered into Ianto's neck. "I like it."

Ianto stilled, twisting around so he could narrow his eyes at Jack. "You 'like' everything," he said pointedly. "That's the problem, sometimes."

Jack nodded unashamedly. "If it's attached to you, then yes, I completely agree, I do. Very much so."

"Okay," Lisa's voice cut in, "I'm starting the DVD again now. If you boys want to take this any further, remember we have a guest, so you'll have to take it to Ianto's room."

Jack stuck out his tongue at her. "Spoilsport."

 

As the film progressed, Ianto slowly relaxed, his initially awkward and uncomfortable pose perched on Jack's lap giving way to something that – if they weren't men and therefore _clearly_ too manly for such things – could be called a snuggle.

While the film was running, conversation was limited, and more or less restricted to comments about the characters or the narrative. And occasionally lines of dialogue when one of them couldn't help themselves.

As the credits rolled however, it turned to more general small talk as Jack and Ianto got to know Kate a little, and she them.

"So, how long have you two guys been together, then? A while, right?" she eventually asked.

"Uh… nearly five months, now," Ianto replied, doing some quick counting in his head and wonderingly silently how the time had passed so quickly.

"Really? Wow," Jack said, kissing the back of his neck and confirming that he too was amazed at how quickly the past months had flown by.

"It would have been a lot longer by now if someone had had the courage to just admit to his true feelings a bit sooner," Lisa said, looking pointedly at Ianto.

"Well, there was the slight complication of you and me," Ianto defended. "How was I to know that you knew already?"

Kate held her hands up. "Ok, whoa, whoa. I'm getting lost here. What do you mean you and Lisa?"

"He's my ex," Lisa explained matter-of-factly.

Kate's eyebrows nearly reached the ceiling. "And now he's with Jack, and you still live together?"

Both Ianto and Lisa nodded.

Kate seemed to be speechless for a few minutes. "Isn't that… awkward?" she eventually asked.

"Not really."

"Not anymore."

Lisa and Ianto spoke at the same time.

"I found it a little awkward at first," Ianto expanded. "Lisa… didn't."

Kate shook her head. "I'm sensing there's a whole story in here that I'm not even going to ask for. If you're all happy, then that's what counts."

"And we are," Lisa confirmed.

"Ecstatically so," Jack added with a squeeze of Ianto's sides.

"And speaking of ecstasy," he whispered in Ianto's ear, squirming a little underneath him. "I believe we were interrupted earlier…"

Ianto elbowed him gently, looking over his shoulder to murmur, "Jack!"

Jack pouted pleadingly and Ianto gave in. He stood up and stretched, turning to offer Jack a hand up. "Alright, we've got a long day tomorrow so…"

"So you want to get your shag in early, we understand," Lisa interrupted with a huge smirk.

Ianto opened his mouth to spout a denial, but then looked at Lisa and Kate's faces, and realised it would be pointless. "Yes, exactly," he said dryly, taking Jack's hand and disappearing out of the living room.

 

Ianto was alone in the kitchen when Lisa wandered in the next morning. He handed her a mug of coffee as she looked around.

"Where's Jack?"

Ianto sighed. "Apparently he just couldn't survive without pain au chocolat for breakfast this morning, so he's off down to the bakery for some."

Lisa shrugged, well used by now to Jack's occasional strange whims.

"Your friend Kate seemed nice last night," Ianto said with a sip of his coffee. "Although I think we scared her a little."

"She is nice," Lisa nodded. "And she actually had a bit of a proposition for me, after you and Jack went to bed."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. One of her friends is moving out of her flatshare in a couple of months to get married, and she suggested that maybe I'd like to take her place."

Ianto gripped his mug tighter. "You mean… move out?"

Lisa nodded.

"But… I thought you liked living here with me?" he asked cautiously.

"I do!" Lisa rushed to assure him. "I love living here." She bit her lip and put her mug on the counter. "It's just… I suppose I feel like if I stay here, then I'm not really moving on and becoming independent."

She shrugged. "Staying here is a bit of a safety net. And as much as I love it, I think I need to do this."

Ianto took a deep breath, put down his mug and hugged her. "Whatever you need to do, I'll be here to support you," he murmured.

Moments later, the front door swung open and Jack strode in. "Pastries for all!" he called triumphantly.


	18. Epilogue

Ianto wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as Jack came through the door with another box.

"Why did you have to pick the hottest damn day of the year to move?" he complained to Lisa, who was sitting on her new bed and methodically unpacking the boxes as Ianto and Jack brought them in.

"Luck?" she suggested, shrugging with a slight smile.

"That's the last of them," Jack sighed, dropping the box on top of a pile and breathing heavily. "Remind me never to offer to help anyone move house again."

"I don't think you actually offered _this_ time," Ianto said. "We weren't given a choice."

"You both promised to be there for me whatever I needed," Lisa reminded them. "And today, I needed heavy lifting done."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Ianto said, pulling her to her feet for a hug. "And it still stands. Just as long as the next thing doesn't involve carrying heavy things up several flights of stairs."

"Oh, you," Lisa grinned, shouldering him.

Jack wrapped his arms around the both of them. "Just because you've moved out doesn't mean you get to skip out on dinner-and-movie nights," he warned. "Even try it and you might find two cranky men on your doorstep demanding food and Johnny Depp."

"You're going to miss my Johnny DVDs almost as much as you will me, aren't you?" Lisa asked with a mock-disappointed expression.

"Absolutely," Jack said, holding them tighter. "Absolutely."


End file.
